


A World Where Roses Bloom

by amine



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, Cardverse, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Resolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-23 01:57:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12495916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amine/pseuds/amine
Summary: "When he’d accepted that he was genuinely and madly in love with Alfred, he began to avoid spending time with him outside of what was necessary in his role as the queen."





	A World Where Roses Bloom

When Arthur was finally given a reprieve from his duties as queen, his favorite place to retreat to was the rose garden. He helped to tend to it when he had the time, so he was confident in its exceptional beauty. When he was there, he could forget that he was the queen of Spades and simply enjoy life.

The last thing he ever expected when he went to the garden was to find Alfred sitting there on one of the benches. Arthur froze and considered fleeing before Alfred noticed him.

Their marriage had been arranged from the moment of Alfred’s birth—Arthur, the son of a high-ranking Spades noble, would marry Alfred, the prince of Spades, when they came of age. He’d spent his life knowing that he would one day marry the prince and become the queen, but other than a brief meeting when they were children, he never had any contact with Alfred until the day of their wedding.

He’d anticipated it being a loveless marriage based solely on the respective political capital they gave each other, and that they would only work together for the betterment of the kingdom of Spades.

Instead, he’d fallen at an alarming rate for Alfred’s charm, good natured attitude, and natural leadership abilities. It didn’t hurt that he was also unfairly good-looking, but that was merely a welcome addition to a much longer list of qualities he admired in Alfred.

When he’d accepted that he was genuinely and madly in love with Alfred, he began to avoid spending time with him outside of what was necessary in his role as the queen. It was painful to think of how he would eventually have to turn a blind eye to the courtesans that would share Alfred’s company rather than him, so he decided to play the part of the aloof, but effective queen.

With that plan in mind, it was startling to find Alfred sitting in his personal retreat. As he continued to consider fleeing, Alfred turned to him, and his eyes widened. Arthur immediately straightened up before he bowed.

“Your Majesty. I’m sorry to disturb you.”

A chilling silence followed, and Arthur swallowed hard. The silence was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps, and Arthur stiffened as he was pushed upright. Alfred frowned at him.

“I don’t want the queen bowing to me.”

“My apologies, your Majesty.”

Alfred made a face, but he just sighed and shook his head. He turned to look at the roses, and while he was distracted, Arthur took a moment to admire his profile. He looked lovely against a backdrop of roses and the soft light of dusk, and the way his hair moved with the gentle breeze made Arthur want to brush it out of his face.

Thankfully, before his sentimental thoughts could take on a life of their own, Alfred turned to him again.

“This is your garden, right?”

Arthur blinked, but he slowly nodded. “Yes, I tend to the roses here when time permits.”

Alfred gave him a smile, which made Arthur’s heart skip a beat. “They look really nice. I’m thinking I might spend more time here.”

Arthur wondered how uncouth it would be to object to such an idea, because he loved the rose garden and he’d hate to have to avoid it because Alfred decided to spend more time there. As he considered the best way to change Alfred’s mind without being rude, Alfred’s expression turned somber.

“Hey, Arthur…how come you act so different around me? I’ve seen you yelling and being rude and being fun, but then around me you’re always so formal and polite. Like when you were bowing just now and how you keep calling me ‘your Majesty’ instead of Alfred.”

Arthur gawked at him, and he was at a loss for words. “I’m…I…”

Alfred gave him a pained look, and seeing such an expression on Alfred’s face was like a punch to the gut. Still, he couldn’t do anything besides babble.

“I know this was an arranged marriage and everything, but I thought we were going to be friends, you know? At first, it seemed like that. You acted differently back then, but now you act like this and never spend any time with me. I really liked that Arthur from when we first got married. I still like seeing him when he doesn’t know I’m around.”

Arthur stood astonished, but it was enough to startle him out of his stupor.

“Like?”

Alfred’s face turned red, which was an interesting phenomenon that Arthur found absolutely adorable. As he admired the way a blush also suited Alfred’s lovely face, Alfred gave him an earnest look.

“Well…since we’re going to be stuck with each other no matter what anyway…can I be honest with you? I was dreading marrying you my whole life, but then I got to know you and I really…I, uh…well. I really…I started to fall for you for real.”

Alfred trailed off and scratched at his head. Arthur stood and stared at Alfred in awe. He was torn between being struck at Alfred’s bumbling confession and his ability to continue to surprise Arthur with his unexpected charms, and how much he wanted to cry that his feelings were returned.

So, he did neither, and he sucked in a breath as he closed the distance between them.

“May I kiss you?”

Alfred’s eyes widened, and he had a delighted smile on his face as he nodded.

Arthur returned the smile, and they slipped their arms around each other as they stepped into their first kiss.


End file.
